Keel laying of TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 5 and start of production for Mein Schiff 6 at Meyer Turku

On 23 June 2015, the keel of Mein Schiff 5 was laid at Meyer Turku shipyard’s drydock. Before the keel-laying ceremony, the start of production of the sister ship Mein Schiff 6 took place in the shipyard’s construction hall.

The production of the cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 was officially launched when TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meyer started the plasma cutting machine in the production hall of Meyer Turku shipyard. Another important event was also celebrated at the shipyard on the same day, as the next milestone in the building process of the Mein Schiff 5 took place. The hull construction of the Mein Schiff 5 began by lowering the keel block into the shipyard’s drydock. Following old traditions of the shipyard in this event some coins were placed under the keel block to bring luck for the ship. Representatives of TUI Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Meyer Turku and the classification society Det Norske Veritas, invited guests, and members of the press joined these events.

Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6 will be delivered in 2016 and 2017. Like their sister ships (Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4), they will be approximately 294 meters long, have 15 decks with around 1,253 staterooms and the capacity to carry approximately 2,506 passengers. 90 percent of the cabins are outside cabins and 82 percent have a balcony. Both ships are being constructed to the latest technological standards using innovative and environmentally-friendly technologies. They are especially energy-efficient and consume around 30 percent less energy than comparable cruise liners. Thanks to the advanced exhaust cleaning system that uses a scrubber and catalytic converter, sulphur emissions can be reduced by approximately 99 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by around 75 percent.

“This growth presents us with the opportunity to further strengthen our position with one of the most modern fleets on the German market. With six ships in the medium term, we are aiming at a market share in excess of 25 percent,” says Wybcke Meier, TUI Cruises’ CEO.

“The construction of a ship is for the shipyard a great team effort in which we work closely with our customers and subcontractors. For such a big and custom-designed project brought to reality by so many contributors with their effort and skilled work, it is a nice tradition that we pause and appreciate the moment when the hardware part of the construction of a new ship is actually starting – as for Mein Schiff 6 today. We are also happy that we are in schedule with Mein Schiff 5 and can celebrate the keel laying for Mein Schiff 5 as planned today,” says Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku Oy.

Meyer Turku Oy employs 1,350 persons and specializes in building highly complex, innovative and environmentally friendly cruise ships, car-passenger ferries and special vessels. Together with two sister shipyards in Germany, Meyer Werft in Papenburg and Neptun Werft in Rostock, Meyer Turku is one of the world’s leading cruise ship builders. The successful shipbuilding tradition in Turku has been continuing since 1737. The company is currently building ships for TUI Cruises, Tallink and Carnival Corporation. The design and construction of the ships are supported by the subsidiaries of Meyer Turku: Piikkio Works Oy, which is a Cabin Factory in Piikkiö, Shipbuilding Completion Oy, which provides turnkey solutions to public spaces in ships, and ENG´nD Oy, which is an engineering company offering services for shipbuilding and offshore.

TUI Cruisesis a joint venture between TUI AG and the global cruise shipping line Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company, founded in April 2008 and headquartered in Hamburg, has been offering cruises for the German-speaking market since May 2009. Since the commissioning of Mein Schiff 3 in summer 2014, the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises currently consists of three ships providing a bed capacity of 6,342 (Mein Schiff 1: 1,924, Mein Schiff 2: 1,912, Mein Schiff 3: 2,506). The ships have been designed from bow to stern with well-being and relaxation in mind. With its Premium All-Inclusive concept, TUI Cruises is targeting first and foremost couples and families whose focus is on freedom, space, quality and personal service. Mein Schiff’s numerous service restaurants, the spa and sport zone, a personal Nespresso machine in every cabin as well as spacious balconies ensure that a cruise holiday with TUI Cruises are perfect for body and soul. Within the scope of the fleet expansion, Mein Schiff 4 will be commissioned in summer 2015. With the identically constructed Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6, the well-being fleet will then grow in 2016 and 2017 to six ships with around 14,000 beds. Environmentally friendly directed business practices are firmly anchored in the corporate values of TUI Cruises. The new vessels set new standards in terms of environmental friendliness.